Life is full of trade-offs. Today's poor choices are a down payment on tomorrow's problems. It's all a part of living with the law of God that says we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7).

That was true of a 30-year-old Mississippi resident. A conviction for felony drunk driving resulted in his getting a 15-year prison sentence. The judge then suspended 14 years of the sentence if the man would honor the terms of a 1-year house arrest.

The trade-off was simple: Stay home and out of trouble for 1 year instead of going to prison for 15. But the man didn't like being cooped up, so he went fishing--driving with a suspended license to get there. He was arrested and the judge threw him in prison. The fishing trip cost him many years of freedom.

What bad trade-offs do we make? Do we reject God's mercy so we can enjoy sin's season of pleasure? In the Bible, we see some examples. Moses traded the Promised Land for an outburst of anger (Num. 20:7-13). David traded his reputation for a night of passion (2 Sam. 11). Ananias and Sapphira traded life for some extra money (Acts 5:1-11).

Are you facing temptation today? Don't give in. Cling to Jesus. Obey His commands. Never exchange fellowship with Him for anything. It's always a poor trade-off.  — Dave Branon